Towel cabinet



n 1936- .1. N. BORROUGHS 2,045,8'2

TOWEL CABINET I Filed June 2a, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Y INVENTOR. k Km Arm/ (r BY ATTORNEY? June 30, 1936. J. N, BORROUGHS 2,045,828

I TOWEL CABINET Filed June 28, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

Patented June 30, 1936 UNITED STATE.

TOWEL CABINET Joseph N. Borroughs, Oakland, Calif.

Application June 28, 1933, Serial No. 678,019

7 Claims.

This invention relates to a towel dispensing device and a structure for the same.

The supplying of towel service to commercial organizations, ofiices and semi-public places has 5. become highly competitive and a few cents difference in costs-represents oftentimes the difference between success and failure. The present invention provides a very simple structure of low cost which can be used to dispense towels satislo factorily.

Many present devices for supplying a clean towel include complicated dispensing mechanisms that render them expensive to install. In addition, particularly in those devices employing separate towels, the towels must be counted out after each laundering and then assembled and installed. Since heretofore thes have been handled in large batches, this has resulted in several extra handlings'. In accordance with my invention, these extra handlings are eliminated and the cost thus reduced.

Ingeneral, it is the broad object of the present invention to provide an improvedand inexpensive towel dispensing apparatus.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a toweldispensing system enabling each group of towels to be handled as a unit.

The invention possesses other advantageous objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will appear at length in the following wherein the preferred form of the invention has-been disclosed. V

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part hereof, Figure 1 is a perspective view of an. assembled towel cabinet.

Figure 2 isa vertical section taken through the side of the cabinet. 7

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken through the front of the cabinet.

Figure 4' is a section along the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a plan View of a towel.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view of a locking device.

Fig. 7- is a section through the dashpot on the cabinet doors.

In the preferred construction herein disclosed, I utilize a cabinet or stand 8 having feet 9 to support the cabinet. The top of the cabinet includes hinged doors l0, angularly positioned to permit convenient access to towels in the cabinet. These doors are opened by depressing with the foot the hinged pedal ll which bears against cross bar l2. Slidable arms l3 extend from the 5 cross bar along each side of the cabinet, as appears in Figure 3, and, upon rising, engage the doors to raise them into the dotted line position shown in Figure 4. The user can then reach into the cabinet to secure and use a towel. Upon release of the pedal the 5 dashpot M prevents the doors from closing too rapidly, piston [5 in the dashpot being connected by piston rod l6, and arm l! to the cross bar l 2 so that delayed falling of the doors takes place as the fluid in the dashpot slowly travels through the restricted orifice l8 in the piston.

Within the cabinet I provide a shelf 69 for supporting a supply of towels 2!. In accordance with this invention, I provide each towel 21' with two grommets or apertures 22. Through these are strung lengths of cotton rope or cord 23, the ends of each length being secured together or knotted so that the group of towels for each dis: pensing unit are secured together. Thus, once the number of towels for a unit have been counted out and assembled on the two ropes 23, they remain together as aunit during all subsequent operations, being repeatedly laundered together, dried and installed for use. In this connection, laundering and drying operations are simplified for it is not necessary tocount out the towels again while after the towels have been laundered, they are readily shaken by means of the ropes to straighten them out and remove water, after which they are hung out to dry. 30

In filling a cabinet, the clean, dry towels are placed on shelf IS, the connecting ropes or cords 23' being placed about removable tension bar 24 and passed through slots in the shelf. The tension bar may be supported in any desired manner, but as shown in Figure 3.one end thereof extends into a socket 2d secured to. onefside wall of the cabinet, and the other end rests upon an open support 24 secured to the opposite wall of the casing. The tension rod is inserted in position by extending one end into the socket 24 and allowing the other end to rest upon the member 24*. The rod may be removed by reversing this operation. A flexible member suclrasa cord, chain or wire 25 is threaded through one of the grommets, as appears in Figure 3, toguard against someone attempting to steal the towels. The flexible member 25 is looped around the bar 24 and has one end anchored to the bottom wall of the cabinet by means of an anchor member 25 The other end of the flexible member is connected with one end of a spring 26, the other end of said spring being hooked into an anchorage member 28 which is also shown as secured to the bottom wall of the cabinet. It is preferred to removably secure the last mentioned end of the spring to the member 28 and this is preferably done by providing said member 28 with a shackle 29 which engages and retains the end of the spring, said shackle being held in normally locked position by means of a suitable lock, such as the padlock 36. Each towel is provided with a tab 21 by which the towel may be pulled over.

the flexible member 25, the spring 25 allowing said member 25 to yield sufficiently to permit the towel to be drawn past the tension bar 24.

The large spring 26 permits the towel to be pulled for some distance from the cabinet for use. When released the spring returns the towel, the used towel falling down about the spring through the open face 3! of the cabinet. A spring 32 connected to the ropes 23 prevents them from becoming entangled in the spring. The doors close when the pedal is released, while the towel is returned quickly upon release. In this way, dust is kept out and the cabinet presents a neat appearance, dirty and used towels being out of sight.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for dispensing towels, a cabinet having hinged doors in the upper portion thereof, a shelf within said cabinet for supporting a stack of towels adjacent said doors, a flexible member of loop form passing through each of said towels in said stack, means for removably securing one end of said flexible member to said cabinet below said shelf in spaced relationship with the edge of said shelf, means for resiliently securing the other end of said flexible member to said cabinet below said shelf, and means mounted in said cabinet above said shelf in horizontal spaced relationship with the edge of said shelf and engaging the looped portion of said flexible member for supporting said flexible member in angular relationship with said shelf whereby each towel in said stack is supported in offset relationship with the others of said towels.

2. A towel dispensing apparatus comprising a cabinet having a shelf therein for supporting a stack of towels, a flexible cord passing through said towels and having its ends joined to provide a closed loop securing said towels together, a bar disposed in said cabinet above said shelf and extending transversely through said loop for supporting the upper end of said loop, and a resilient member passing through said towels and secured to said cabinet.

3. A towel dispensing apparatus comprising a cabinet having a shelf therein for supporting a stack of towels, a flexible cord passing through said towels and having its ends joined to provide a closed loop securing said towels together, a bar disposed in said cabinet above said shelf and extending transversely through said loop for supporting the upper end of said loop, and a resilient member passing through said towels in adjacent parallel relation with said cord and secured to said cabinet, said resilient member engaging said bar.

4. A towel dispensing apparatus comprising a cabinet having a shelf therein for supporting a stack of towels, a. flexible cord passing through said towels and having its ends joined to provide a closed loop securing said towels together, a bar disposed in said cabinet above said shelf for supporting the upper end of said loop, a resilient member passing through said towels and engaging said bar, means for securing one end of said member to said cabinet below said shelf, and means for yieldingly securing the other end of said member to said cabinet below said shelf.

5. A towel dispensing apparatus comprising a cabinet having a shelf therein for supporting a stack of towels, a flexible cord passing through said towels and having its ends joined to provide a closed loop securing said towels together, a bar disposed in said cabinet above said shelf for supporting the upper end of said loop, a resilient member bent to provide a loop and a pair of parallel legs, said second mentioned loop passing over said bar and one of said legs passing through said towels, means for fixedly securing the end of one of said legs to said cabinet below said shelf, and means for yieldingly securing the end of the other of said legs to said cabinet below said shelf.

6. A towel dispensing apparatus comprising a a cabinet having a shelf therein for supporting a stack of towels, a flexible cord passing through said towels and having its ends joined to provide a closed loop securing said towels together, a bar disposed in said cabinet above said shelf for supporting the upper end of said loop, a resilient member disposed in said cabinet and having a portion thereof passing through said towels immediately adjacent one side of said loop and a portion thereof passing over said bar in adjacent parallel relation with said cord, means for fixedly securing one end of said resilient member to said cabinet below said shelf, and means for yieldably securing the other end of said resilient member to said cabinet below said shelf.

'7. A towel dispensing apparatus comprising a cabinet having a shelf therein for supporting a stack of towels, a flexible cord passing through said towels and having its ends joined to provide a closed loop securing said towels together, a resilient member bent to provide a loop and a pair of parallel legs, one of said legs passing through said towels immediately adjacent said cord, means for securing the ends of said legs to said cabinet below said shelf, and a bar secured in said cabinet above said shelf and engaging the loops of said cord and said resilient member, said bar being positioned in said cabinet with respect to said shelf whereby the leg of said member passing through said towels is disposed angularly with respect to said shelf for holding each towel in said stack in offset relationship with others of the towels in the stack.

JOSEPH N. BQRROUGHS. 

